Briesacher inherits a team that began building a winning legacy under Huber in 2006 and posted an impressive 36-16 record last season. The founder and head coach of the Minnesota Starz, a nationally recognized amateur baseball team in the World Wood Bat Association, and an associate scout with the Atlanta Braves, Briesacher is optimistic about the future of the Blue Knights.

“We are going to continue our winning ways,” Briesacher said. “Our goal is to move forward and take our team to the next level.”

Joining Briesacher will be former Minnesota Twin Al Newman, the new fielding and hitting coach, and Mitch Zwolensky, the pitching and bench coach.

A Major League Baseball second baseman and infielder for eight years, Newman brings a substantial baseball résumé to the Blue Knights. He played on two Minnesota Twins World Series Championships teams, 1987 and 1991, before going on to coach third base for the Twins for three seasons. He worked as an advance scout for the Arizona Diamondbacks and today serves as special events coordinator for the AFLAC Kids Program.

The current president of the ACE Baseball Academy, Zwolensky was a player for the Texas Rangers and Chicago Cubs organizations in the 1980s. He went on to serve as a pitching coach for the Milwaukee Brewers and Montreal Expos organizations as well as for the Duluth-Superior Dukes of the Northern League. He was general manager and field manager for the Brainerd Bears and Minot Mallards, minor league teams in Minnesota and North Dakota respectively. Zwolensky has more than 20 years of professional baseball experience.

Briesacher, a practicing chiropractor, resides with his wife, Leslie, and the couple’s three children, Ben, Megan and Madison, in New Market, Minn. Newman resides in Elko, Minn., and Zwolensky resides in Burnsville, Minn.

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